When a Riceball Melts a Dragons Heart
by D'Rossi
Summary: The curse is broken. Tohru goes to America with Arisa and Hanajima for a modeling career and self-discovery. When she returns, a certain dragon needs her love to heal him... Bad summary, story is better. First story--please review.
1. Abrupt Exits, Unexpected Reunions

It was a beautiful summer day, the kind of day most people spent outside. For Tohru, today was bittersweet, like a clear sunny winter's day. Unbeknownst to most of the people in Shigure's house and those yet to come, this was her last day living in the house. It had been a little more than two months since the curse was broken for one and all. It did her heart good to see everybody freely seeking their happiness, released from the family curse. It seemed so much had happened in such a short amount of time….

Yuki began dating one of the Student Council members a couple weeks ago and was on his way to University. Kyo had changed a great deal: his temper had greatly improved (for him anyway), was a part time student at the University with Yuki and was teaching beginner classes at Shishou's dojo. Haru and Rin got together, as well as Hiro and Kisa. Momiji was an enthusiastic prince in high school, becoming just as incredibly good looking as Haru said he would and twice as popular as Yuki and Kyo had been, due to the fact he dated. A LOT. When he wasn't taking full advantage of interacting with the opposite sex, he was working part time at Ayame's shop, helping Ayame and Mine around the shop as well as helping to model off the merchandise as the one of the store's spokesmodels. This only served to increase his popularity and send his fan club into an even bigger tizzy, especially when he modeled in the …more feminine ensembles. The other spokesmodel, Ritsu, flourished under all the admiration of his own fan club, making his freak-outs almost non-existent (blame Shigure for that).

Once all the excitement of the curse being broken settled down and she saw all her friends were going to be alright, Tohru decided it was time to go. Her best friend Uotani gave her a way to leave. Uo was an upcoming model, one because of her looks and second, the ferocity of her two friends, who looked after her interests and always went with her to photoshoots. Because of her growing popularity, she was offered a rather large deal to be the spokesmodel for a large company, who liked the look of her in a magazine ad. But part of the deal was she had to make several public appearances, do several photoshoots and commercials….in America….for at least a year. After a great deal of consideration plus some wheeling and dealing on Hanajima's part, they agreed to do it.

Two weeks later, nobody knew anything of their plans except Hatori, because they needed vaccinations before they could go and Kagura, as Tohru had asked her to look after the boys and the house in her absence. He only knew that they were leaving on business, but not how long they were going to stay. Kagura only knew Toru was leaving for awhile.

Tohru was pondering everything that had happened and everything waiting to happen when she was broken out of her reverie by the arrival of her first guests, Momiji, with Haru and Hatori in tow. She was braced for the weight of the rabbit as he jumped to hug her, now accustomed to him. The guys were declining the tea she offered when her friends arrived, "sleep-over gear" in tow. Tohru had told the Sohmas she was throwing a big celebration, in honor of Uotani's big contract, which they never went into detail about, and just celebrating life in general, capped off with her friends sleeping over. In reality, it was the half truth. The gathering was also a means for the girls to see everybody, including Kureno, Kazuma, and Kyo, one last time before they left in the morning.

A fabulous time was had by all, with the exception of the girls, who couldn't quite hide that small show of sadness completely from their eyes. It occurred to the guys that something was off, but in the spirit of having a good time, opted to wait 'til morning to find out what the deal was, though they all passed looks at one another throughout the night when they saw that little note of sadness visibly flash in Tohru's eyes from time to time.

At the end of the night, after most had left and the remaining people offered to help clean up, Tohru shooed them away, saying she had it under control and that she needed to wind down anyway. They shrugged and bid the girls good night, as they went their separate ways: Yuki to his room to call his girlfriend before he went to sleep, Kyo to his usual spot, the roof, to wind down for the night, Shigure to pretend to work on his latest story but to actually contemplate new ways to torture his editor this month, and Kagura made camp on the sofa, since Tohru's friends were camping out in her room.

Only after they heard everybody else settle in their respective areas outside the kitchen, did the three allow for their sadness to truly show. Uo and Saki were leaving men they really cared about, Kureno and Kazuma respectively, because the men requested more time before they really tried to commit to a relationship. They only hoped they had something to come back to Japan to. Tohru because she was leaving people that she considered to be her family as well as leaving Kyo behind, but it had to be done. They all had done a lot of growing up together, but Tohru knew she had more to do and that couldn't happen here, not under the Sohmas well-meaning protection.

Rather than voicing their thoughts, they quietly went back over their exit strategy: to leave early in morning, as quietly as possible, after Kyo left for his morning routine, which was way before anybody else would be getting up. They would wait for him to leave, get dressed and wait for the rented car to pick them up and take them to the airport. Their bags were packed with everything they needed and waiting in the downstairs closet closest to the door, so all they had to do was grab them and go. They also had a large envelope filled with several letters addressed to various Sohmas, which had some explanations and well wishes from the girls, so they wouldn't worry (very much). This they left upstairs in one of Tohru's drawers.

After her friends had finally gone to bed, Tohru, mostly out of habit and sentiment, fixed one last breakfast and made lunches out of the party leftovers for her 'boys'. After she finally shut down the kitchen, she took one last look at Gure's house, lingering in the living room, reliving some of the special moments of the party: the lovey couples (Hiro and Kisa, Rin and Ha'ru, to name a few), Yuki teasing his brother, surprising the boys with Twister and laughing at the looks and blushes on the boys faces as the girls practically crawled all over each other and watching all the younger Sohmas, finally able to enjoy each others company freely. Tohru paused and sighed at each person's door before turning around one last time….bidding the house goodbye.

The next morning, their exit went perfectly to plan, though it was difficult for them to leave so many people behind. By the time Kyo got back from his morning ritual, they were on their way through customs. When the rest of the house awoke, they were boarding the plane. Around the time Kyo and Yuki knocked on Tohru's old door to ask if the girls wanted to order in breakfast and got no answer, they were in the air, firmly holding hands.

"Miss Honda? Yuki called softly. "…Tohru, is everything okay?" he queried again, formality taking a back seat to his growing concern.

"Tohru? We're coming in…" Kyo warned, as he unknowingly opened a door that was no longer hers.

Whatever they were expecting, they certainly weren't expecting what they found---an empty room. Fear and alarm chased each other as they realized Tohru's things were gone and her closet was empty except for her old uniforms. It was a show of how much closer the two had become when Yuki grabbed Kyo shirt sleeve in shock and Kyo let him. It took several moments, several long moments spent observing everything and everyone missing from the room before they noticed big envelope on her bed and a letter sitting on top of it. They shared a quick and quiet look before walking to her bed and retrieving the letter penned by all three women. Together they read:

_Prince Charming, Orangey, and the Writer---_

_Here's the deal, we're gone, but you should know that by now, Orangey. We're off to America as part of my contract for at least a year.__**(Ou) **__Please don't worry about us, the company made all the arrangements for us. So we'll be fine. And we'll write and e-mail regularly and humbly request that you do the same.__**(Tohru)**_ _The state of the house is of no concern, Kagura will do in Tohru's absence. May you all have good waves 'til our paths cross again… __**(guess who wrote that part)**_

After they read it a second time and they attempted to shake off the shock, they noted that they were sitting on her bed. Her old bed. As the reality of the situation started to roll in, Yuki opened the envelope and Kyo pulled out several smaller envelopes, addressed to them and several other Sohmas. After setting their own envelopes aside, Kyo grabbed the rest as he made to leave, mumbling, "May as well get this over with…" on his way out. Yuki gave a shaky sigh before leaving, quietly closing the door, not relishing what they had to do.

As they descended the stairs, Shigure cheerfully called for his 'flower', unknowingly bringing the boys down even more. Before 'Gure could comment on their hang dog **(haha)** expressions, Kyo told him bluntly, "She's gone", his voice cracking on the last word.

"She went to the store this early?" confusion at their sad faces starting to seep in. "Fear not Kyon-Kyon, 'tis merely the grocer, not her moving back in with her…."

"No…" this came quietly from Yuki. "Miss Honda…as well as Miss Uotani and Miss Hanajima are gone…" And with that, Kyo handed him the letter, watching the shock come over his usually boyishly mischievous face. The letter fell to his side and he brought a shaky hand of despair over his face, more to stem (and hide) the tears that were a great deal more sincere than his tears generally are, though it came off as dramatic.

"There's more…" Yuki murmured as he pulled out Shigure's envelope from the rest and handed it over. A wry smile crossed his face as he took it, returning to the decay that was his room, which matched his mood perfectly. "Game, point, Tohru..." he murmured, marveling at how she managed to get so completely past him with this, when few others got to sneeze without him knowing.

With the dog gone to his room, Yuki and Kyo looked at each other for a moment before Kyo broke the silence. "I'll call Hatori, I guess…."

"No…I'll call him….Nii-san too." He hesitated before adding, "maybe you should go talk to Shishou…"

Something came and went in Kyo's eyes before he nodded, grabbed his and Shishou's letters and he hesitated as well. "Should I take the others?"

"No, Hatori can help with that. He's telling Momiji, Kureno, and Ritsu. I'll talk to Ha'ru, he'll handle his, Rin's, Hiro's and Kisa's…"

With that, they went their separate ways, Kyo to the Dojo and Yuki to a phone upstairs.

Once it grew quiet again, Kagura gave a quiet sigh from her bed on the couch, having heard everything. They were in such shock, they forgot she was there. She rose from her bed and went to the kitchen, thinking tea was in order and wondering if she could possibly force food on this group just yet. The next few days were going to be rough…

"Hatori…"

"What is it Yuki? Is it your asthma again?"

"No…" As he struggled with words, Yuki dearly wished to see brother for the first time since he was little.

"Well?"

"Miss…Tohru and her friends left for America, sometime this morning, I suppose…"

"…" Shock silenced him; he hadn't expected them to leave so soon.

"She left letters for each of you possibly pass some out? I don't wish to do this more than I have to."

"Certainly…Kyo, he went to Kazuma's yes?"

"Yes…I don't think he's going to come back tonight …" _or the next little while, he thought to himself._

"I suspect as much as well. I'll be over tonight to get the letters.

"I'll …leave them with Kagura I suppose…I'm going to see Nii-san."

It was a rough couple of days for the Juunishi. Momiji, as expected, reacted rather badly and his wails of discontent were silenced only when he was told that she had left something for him. He quickly read his letter and gave a sad sigh as a wistful smile pulled at his lips: She had left a photo of them at the Juunishi Festival they had gone to one year; they were wearing rabbit ears, having a wonderful time. After that, he was quietly sad, a few tears shining in his eyes from time to time, but he made an effort to be okay, for Tohru. Kisa was all but devastated, saved only by Hiro trying desperately to stop her tears and her momento: A photo of her and Tohru at a petting zoo, hugging an unhappy Hiro, who had transformed after a very excited little girl ran into him. Largely unknown to the rest of the Juunishi, Kyo and Yuki wound up comforting each other. They would quietly spend time together when one or the other didn't have to be in class or at the dojo, called it 'studying', which they did, they just never mentioned with whom. Shigure revealed a bit of himself to his editor _**not that way**_ accidently: He had Kagura call Mitchan to tell her the transcript was ready—several days before the original deadline. Mitchan was so over-whelmed, she had to be put on bedrest for three days. 'Gure even kept to the pre-set storyline, but the office opted not to share that bit of info with her, for fear of a relapse.

After that it was business _**in**__**Gure's case, monkey business**_ as usual.

Meanwhile, the girls got on famously. America could not get enough of Arisa. She became a spokesmodel for three other major products in addition to a few endorsements for a couple restaurants and food products. (Saki reaped the bulk of the benefits from those business deals, i.e., free food). Because they were a die-hard trio, they were photographed virtually everywhere: awards shows, parties, premieres, openings, and meet and greets. And more often than not, they did a number of guest spots. It was during a guest spot on a highly popular hospital drama, a number of the crew asked if Tohru had medical training, so convincing was she as a nurse, even though she hadn't memorized her part of the script. She just did what came naturally to her (helping and taking of people) and it was well received by the director and producer.

Tohru hadn't really given much thought to a career, just wanting to make a living, initially. When she sat down and thought about it, it seemed to be a good match. When she presented the idea to her friends, they agreed. And since Arisa's soft spot for her friends was bigger than the state of Texas, she put Tohru through school. She had such an aptitude, she got certification as a nurse faster than anyone in the school's history.

In celebration of Tohru's accomplishments and to mark the end of the last of Arisa's contractual obligations in America, they decided to go out with a bang…_**(I'm not telling just yet :-P)**_. Since Arisa had less than a month long break between finishing in the US and starting her new gig Japan, they opted to go home sooner rather than later. And so, aided by a phony rumor of Arisa secretly marrying Colin Farrell in Hawaii (for the third time, no less), thanks to Hana-san, they more or less snuck back to Japan with no fanfare to warn the Sohmas or the rest of the world of their return. After dropping their things in their hotel rooms and freshening up, they headed for 'Gure's, largely on foot, so they could see everything again, for the first time in over eighteen months. It felt good to be home again.

Inside Shigure's house, several people were milling about—'Gure reading the paper, not writing; Yuki in his room, dealing with school work; Kyo out back, working out a new routine for his class; Hatsuharu sat not really watching TV or listening to the many ramblings of Momiji about the girls in his fan club and Kagura cleaning the vegetables from Yuki's garden for lunch. So it came as little surprise that they were all caught off guard when a knock came at the door. Yuki and Kyo had been home from school for almost a week and the only people the three had been expecting were Haru and Momiji. Since Yuki was already on his way downstairs and closer to the door than Kagura, he answered it.

After his initial shock at their unannounced arrival and attire, Yuki was delighted to see them after so long. "Arisa, Hana-san, it has been a long time. It's great to see you again."

"It's been a very long time, Prince" nodded Arisa, clad in jeans, a blue halter and a black denim crop jacket.

"Indeed…" agreed Hana-san, dressed in black capris that showcased her shapely legs and an unbuttoned black shirt that revealed a white tank top.

"Please, come in. Everyone will be happy to see you…." Yuki finally took notice of their friend, dressed in a white above the knee denim skirt with an almost respectable split on the left side, a red one-shouldered tank top with words "naughty girl" emblazoned in gold across the chest and a black crop similar to Arisa's, who hung back a few steps.

"Please, come inside. I'm Yuki Sohma and you….." he trailed off as recognition finally kicked in. She wasn't just a friend, she was---

"Tohru!" screamed Momiji from behind Yuki.

Tohru finally smiled and walked up, giving each one a hug and kiss on the cheek, momentarily stunning them as she continued into the house. She walked in to find Arisa and Hana talking to Shigure and Haru, the guys none-too-subtly giving her friends the once over.

"Arisa, I must say, your lipstick ad was one of my favorites…Well, well, who do we have here?" Shigure inquired as Tohru entered.

"Ah, Shigure, nice to see you're still as shameless as ever."

Before he could pout, he finally caught her voice. "Tohru?"

By this time she had dropped onto the couch to give him a hug and quick peck on the cheek. While Shigure blinked in response to her appearance and completely un-formal greeting, she leaned/crawled across him to do the same with Haru.

As Arisa, Momiji and even Yuki snickered at Shigure's reaction, Kyo strolled in from the back, curiosity on his face. "What's with all the racket?" He glanced over and saw Arisa and Saki, Tohru as yet unnoticed. As a half grin broke on his face he said, "Should have known it was the damn Yankee…"

Arisa smirked as she walked over give him a noogie, "Good to see you too, Orangey."

Just as he was nodding to Saki, he saw Tohru rise from the couch, curious interest, shock and delight chasing themselves across his face as she walked over to greet him.

"Tohru..."

"Missed you, too…" she murmured as she held on to him for an extra moment. Looking up, she smiled as she said, "Hello, Kagura. The house looks fantastic."

"The house? What about you? You look great!" Kagura enthused as she and Tohru hugged.

"Oh, well, being in the States so long rubbed off on me a bit," she stated as she began to toy with her recently pink-highlighted and waved hair. "So, do you need any help in the kitchen with lunch? It's the least I can do after surprising you all like this."

Kagura declined, saying she was almost done, so Tohru settled in on the floor by the table as several discussions took place. Arisa was talking about life in America with Yuki and Kyo while Shigure leered over the ads they had brought with them, almost the last of the batch. Haru quietly looked on with Shigure, occasionally agreeing or saying, "One day you're gonna get arrested, Sensei."

After they finished lunch and started to wind down, the girls left, saying that they had various things to tend to, finding permanent housing and getting settled, things like that, but made plans to come back for dinner that night. With dinner plans squared away, Arisa and Saki went into town while Tohru headed towards the Sohma compound. Arisa and Saki were going to see Ayame about him taking care of Arisa's wardrobe for her important modeling jobs, like the one coming up next month. The riceball was going to see Hatori.

Tohru arrived at the compound, various feelings flowing through her, because of all the changes that had happened between her last trip there and now. She hesitated briefly, trying to remember which way to go, when she remembered one of the numerous times she walked there with Momiji. She paused slightly to smooth her clothes before she entered Hatori's facilities. She approached the lone nurse she saw and asked if Dr. Sohma had a few minutes to speak to her without an appointment.

The nurse checked the book, saw he had no patients currently and called him over the intercom, "Excuse me, Dr. Sohma?"

"Yes, Nurse Haikun?" came the response from the doorway behind her.

"Oh, there you are, doctor. There's a young lady here who would like to speak to you for a few moments."

"Who is she?"

"It's been a long time, Hatori…" Tohru said, giving a small bow in greeting.

Surprise rang clear in his voice. "Tohru?" After a few moments, he gathered himself and led her back to his inner office, saying, "Yes, it has been a long time, Miss Honda. Please come in."

After they were seated and Tohru had declined tea, Hatori allowed the question to show on his generally impassive face.

Seeing it, Tohru answered, "I wanted to talk to you about a job…"

Tohru met up with her friends at the edge of town (knowing it wasn't technically safe to go in Aya's shop—Mine would attack her for the umpteenth time.) and they walked back to Shigure's, talking along the way.

"So how'd it go?" asked Arisa.

"I can start as soon as Hatori can verify my paperwork and checks my references. What happened with Ayame?"

"Well, once Mine had finished with us, pretty good."

"He agreed to attend our next meeting with Juunishi Enterprises **(real creative, I know)**. I hope they have soba for us this time…" added Hana in her usual husky tones.

Arisa and Tohru had a quick chuckle (same old Hana) as they walked up the stairs to 'Gure's door. Momiji threw it open before they could knock. "Come in! Kagura's just about done and Yuki's setting the table."

Dinner was a lively affair, conversation flowing all around. Shigure was telling Hana and Hatsuharu about his latest book, while Kagura and Tohru discussed recipes they could trade and Arisa told Yuki about her visit with his brother. Momiji was animatedly telling Kyo the woes of dealing with fan clubs without the safety of the curse to act as a barrier. As the meal was winding down, Yuki asked Tohru a question. "Tohru, what are you going to do with your time while Arisa and Saki are getting ready for her next modeling job?"

"Oh, I'll be---" she started as her phone went off. Glancing at the number, she quickly rose. "Excuse me a moment, I need to take this." She said as she strode out back. "Hello?"

"Hello, Tohru"

"Oh, it's you, Hatori! Is there something you need to discuss with me?"

"Yes. I managed to get everything cleared and your references were excellent. When can you start?"

"I'll need a few days to get settled in. How does Thursday sound?"

"Thursday is just fine."

"Great! I guess I'll see you then. Good night."

"Good night."

Tohru gave a little squeal before she walked back inside where everyone had finished with dinner and were in the living room.

"Everything okay?" Kyo asked when he saw her come in.

"Everything is just fine. Starting Thursday, I work for Hatori."

After a slight pause, Yuki asked, "Hatori? I didn't think he needed help around the house…"

With a small laugh, Tohru said, "No, silly! I'm going to be a ---

"NURSE!!!!"

Everyone looked back at the writer who had screamed, confused at his utterance and the thunderstruck look upon his face as he gazed at a gentleman's magazine.

"Shigure, how did you---" Tohru started to ask but was cut off.

"You damn pervert!!! You could at least go in your room to look at that garbage," shouted Kyo.

Shigure could do no more than point at Arisa, who sat smirking, glee clearly visibly in her eyes, then pass the magazine over to Hatsuharu. He looked at it, quirked an eyebrow as something close to surprise, along with male appreciation, came in his eyes. "Awesome…" was his opinion as he looked at the girls. "Good work, ladies…ow…" he added as Kyo put him in a headlock.

"What do you mean, good work?"

"I'm simply saying what any normal red-blooded male would say to them, that they did a good job."

"There's nothing normal about you."

Ha'ru said nothing else, simply moved the magazine within Kyo eyesight.

"Don't put that thing anywhere---" Kyo's words were cut off as his eyes went huge and Ha'ru simply slipped out of his now loosened grip. Without the support of Ha'ru, Kyo toppled over. Yuki walked over to see if he could possibly calm things down and help Kyo up. As he bent over to help Kyo, Ha'ru slid the magazine in front of him. Once he got over the shock of what he was looking at, Yuki tried to look away, but recognition kicked in and stopped him again. When Yuki finally looked up, his eyes were huge and his face had invented a new shade of red. Next to him, Kyo was just managing to get to his hands and knees.

Arisa was supporting herself on a wall, almost doubled over in her laughing. Saki, still by the table, was clearly amused, a definite smile on her face. Tohru was still standing by the kitchen doorway, eyebrows raised, throwing questioning looks at Arisa. Momiji was naturally getting a kick out the three Sohmas behaving so strangely but wanting to know what was making them act that way. "Haru, what's the big deal? I wanna see," he said reaching for the magazine in Haru's out stretched hand.

"NO!" came the thunderous reply from Yuki and Kyo, both clamoring to knock it out of Haru's hand, but Momiji got there first, giving them an almost pitying look before he bopped them both in the face with the offending reading material, knocking them over yet again.

"Knock it off you guys. I'm not under age. Besides, I work in Ayame's shop, it can't be any worse than some of the stuff he has…" he added and began to look over the pictures. After a minute, all he could manage was "whoa…" A short time after that, a mischievous smile came over his face as he added, "Awesome." He probably would have added more but Kyo managed to crawl over and pull his legs from under him, sending the mag in the air toward Arisa, who snagged it, to check the pics first hand herself, Saki glancing alongside her. And she had to agree with Haru and Momiji. They _**were**_ awesome. "Tohru, you should check these out. They came out great!"

Tohru walked over, well mostly around, the assorted Sohmas sprawled on the floor to Arisa and Saki. As she looked the photos over, a smile came over her face. The photos had come out great. She was glad they had finally given in and consented to do one group shoot for a men's magazine as a last hoorah in America. They agreed under the condition that they had final say over the clothes and poses.

Arisa, hair a wavy curling mass flying about her face, virtually no make-up save for some very berry colored lipstick, large almost iridescent angel wings, a white, satiny corseted top, long white skirt with slits that came to the tops of her long, shapely legs, white lacey fingerless gloves, while she held a large, bloody lead pipe **(old faithful)** high above her head, fiery passion flashing in her eyes, lightening flashing just behind her in a very dark black-red sky.

Then there was Saki, who sat on a large rock at the edge of a clear pool water as whispers of souls seemed to fly around her in the hazy pale purple background. Her onyx colored tresses had been swept to the her left shoulder, drawing attention to her ever fascinating eyes, as they seemed to looked through you even as you swore fell into them. The dark, almost bloody red of her gown, with long, black transparent sleeves, the snug bodice with a sweetheart neck line and black lacing up sides, her long fluted skirt with a mid-thigh high slash, made all the more visible with her legs crossed at her knees, added interesting little flashes of skin, in contrast to her almost demure appearance while making her already pale skin seem paler. Hana's picture had been placed next to Arisa's, delivering a double punch to gut, projecting alluring innocence and certain damnation all at once.

Then there was the main attraction, as far as most of the present Sohmas were concerned: Tohru. She was apparently in a hospital-type setting, an operating or exam room of some sort. She was straddling a male dummy **(they hoped)**, leaning forward, a stethoscope on the dummy's chest while her other hand partially covered her cherry red mouth. To make matters worse (or better, depending on POV), she was barely clad in a nurse's uniform. It was white **(naturally)**, the skirt stopping at mid thigh, with splits on both sides that only served to further expose the white thigh hi's and garter she was wearing. The top half of her uniform was a halter with a plunging neckline that stopped after giving a not so subtle view of her chest, made less subtle because she was leaning over and causing many to wonder if certain undergarments were present. Her recently waved and highlighted hair was held back by a nurse's cap.

Mock hurt crossed Tohru's face as she said, "Arisa! I was supposed to see these _before_ we showed them to the guys."

"True, but the writer was kinda nosing around so I let him have it early. You still got to see their reactions," she added with smirk.

"You were right, their reactions were great. But as I was saying before we all got distracted…" Her lips trembled a bit, trying not to laugh at her more traumatized friends' still shell-shocked reactions. "I'll be working for Hatori as a nurse, just like Shigure said."

"A nurse?" Yuki managed to utter.

"When did you get certified for that?!?" squawked Kyo.

"About four months ago."

While Tohru continued, Shigure had returned to himself and his mind went to work. He decided he was pleased with the unexpected turn of events. Hopefully Tohru would give his friend the needed kick in the pants to get going with his life again. It was true, Hatori had made some changes and evolved a bit after the curse was broken. He smiled a bit more and he had even made a connection with Yuki. But he still seemed rather stagnate. Perhaps Tohru could help him out, one last time. . .

"So, that's about it," Tohru said, as she rose from the floor. "I need to get going if I'm going to be ready for work in a few days, otherwise I'll have to wear that uniform. . .

Silence reigned supreme as the boys could do little more than freeze as Kyo, Shigure and Yuki spontaneously spouted nose bleeds…

"Then again, maybe I'll get a raise if I do…."

"WHAT?!?!?!" the boys roared as Tohru chuckled her way out of the house.

With seemingly no time at all, Thursday quickly arrived, full of promise. Tohru awoke a little early, ready to get started. She was so eager; she wound up arriving at Hatori's office half an hour early. The office seemed to still be closed, so Tohru began to ponder what to do, but before she could Hatori arrived.

After clamping down on his mild surprise, Hatori greeted Tohru. "Good morning, Nurse Honda."

"Good morning, Dr. Sohma," Tohru replied with a small bow.

They entered the office, Tohru quietly following Hatori around as he gave a general tour of the office, pointing out where various things were as they went along. The tour ended in front of the little kitchenette, adjacent to Hatori's office.

"If you have any questions, take them to Nurse Haikun. If there are any problems, see me."

"Okay," Tohru responded with a little nod.

With that, Hatori went into his office to get ready for the day as Tohru walked off. Hatori gave a passing thought to breakfast as he went over his appointments for the day. Then he was distracted by a movement he caught from the corner of his eye. It was Tohru, bearing down on him with a small plate and a mug.

"You didn't have to do that . . ."

"_You_ should _eat_ something before your day starts."

With a wry grin, Hatori replied, "People are capable of change," in a slight nod to his bad eating habits.

With an amused look that still managed to brook no nonsense, Tohru added, "Yes, and old habits die hard."

After staring Hatori down long enough to make him take a few bites of his English muffin and sip his tea, Tohru left.

Over the course of the day, Tohru proved to be very capable and helpful. After a couple weeks, she became invaluable. Hatori's office had never been run more efficiently. He even had time to take little breaks and more often than not, had time to take a real lunch.

An even bigger change around the office was Hatori. He demeanor had changed a bit, from cold and remote to cool and professionally detached **(Hey, this is Hatori we're talking about)**. This was thanks to Tohru pushing him to take lunch **(I said he **_**could**_** take lunch, never said he did) **and dragging him outside for a walk if he looked like he needed a break. He even began to play favorites, a bit, preferring Tohru to help with patients more often than not. Their rhythm was such that they hardly had to speak when they were working. The other nurses could hardly mind, not when their jobs were being made easier and Dr. Sohma was visibly happy, for him, anyway.

Hatori also noticed some changes, but they didn't all have to do with him. He had been observing all the little changes in Tohru since she started working in the clinic. Things like how efficient she was, something he hardly saw from her outside of a kitchen. Then there was the new concentration and intensity about her, which warred with the memory of the old, flighty Tohru. Then, there was the unprecedented forcefulness in her now. Hatori regularly found himself on her short list, regularly getting nailed to the wall for not taking better care of himself.

It took a couple weeks to find the answer, but he finally clued in on the big change in her that he couldn't quite put a finger on. She was a full-fledged woman now. It bugged him for a while (he had several bad moments, imagining that he would turn into Shigure), before logic kicked in. Tohru was no longer the clumsy woman-child on the verge of becoming, she had become.


	2. The Unexplained

Thank you for all of your responses and reviews so far and I sorry it took me so long to update. I kept changing stuff.

Oh, I should get this out of the way 'cuz I completely forgot to do this last time.

clears throat I have not now nor will I ever own Fruits Basket, despite my greatest wishes that I did in fact own Hatsuharu sighs in dispair

One other thing, my deepest apologizes if this bares a similarity, slight or strong, to anything else you've read or written. I swear I read too much for my own good sometimes…

Anyway, on with the story!!

While things were progressing on the job front for Tohru, things were starting to deteriorate on the social front. Since she began working, Ou had begun her next modeling gig, so more often than not, she rarely saw her friends. And since they all kept different hours, Tohru generally went home to an empty apartment.

And because of the popularity of the men's magazine shoot they did, Tohru was becoming more and more recognized. As a result, it became increasingly difficult for her to get to and from work or go on simple errands without being approached or followed occasionally. One day, while Tohru was food shopping with Kagura after work, it almost got a little ugly. On their way to Shigure's, they came across a drunk who didn't quite get the hint that they didn't want him to follow them home until Kagura let him have it.

The young women were rehashing the incident when the boys came in for dinner.

"Can you believe that guy?"

"I'm just glad everyone's okay."

"Thank goodness I was with you."

"Indeed. This reminds me of something I was supposed to ask Kyo…Now's as good a time as any, considering…"

"It just sickens me to think of what he might had done if…"

"What he might have done to whom?"

"Yeah, and ask me what?"

The women jumped and managed to stifle their screams to squeaks as Kyo and Yuki approached them quietly from behind.

"Oh! You scared us!" Tohru managed, while her hair still stood on end.

"Our apologies, Tohru. Now—

"Now back to our questions. Who is 'he'-"

"What did 'he' almost do-"

"And do you need to ask me?"

The cat and the rat, since the curse broke, had become a more formidable together than they were when they fought each other.

"…" Tohru struggled with her words at being questioned about it before she could come up with a more 'sugar-coated' version of what happened. Regardless of everything that changed with everybody, especially Kyo's temper, she knew all that would be out the window if and when he heard the truth.

Before she could decide what to do, Kagura decided to tell them for her.

"Some drunken creep tried to follow us home to make sure we were 'safe' in exchange for Tohru giving him a 'physical examination.'

For those of you who have read the manga or especially those who've watched the anime--- 'member when Kyo almost lost it after they figured out what Tohru had done for them on Valentine's Day? It was a lot like that except this time his temper won…

"_**HE SAID WHAT!?!?!?!"**_

The sonic boom of Kyo's explosion almost managed to cover the very audible sound of his and Yuki's temper snapping like tree in a tornado.

"What else did he say?" Yuki asked in an unusually quiet voice, even for him, his head down.

"Nothing import---" Tohru started to say, trying pitifully to do damage control.

Yuki's head snapped up, lightning fast, to reveal eyes that held something beyond hatred and pure rage. Those same eyes all but pinned the girls to the wall and daring them to not give him the answers he wanted while only hinting at the dire consequences if they did anything less. If they could have been able to look away from Yuki, they would have seen an almost identical look in Kyo's eyes.

"What…did…he…say…" Yuki repeated, almost at the end of his patience.

Even Kagura was hesitant before she replied. "H-he…he…didn't really say anything thing else after that... We turned around and to keep walking… B-b-but, then he came up from behind us and tried to grab Tohru…and that's when I hit him, for ripping Tohru's uniform---" Kagura let out a small unintelligible sound as Yuki punched a hole into the fridge.

Both girls were doing the unprecedented: cowering in fear of Yuki and his temper. All of this went down before Kyo vision could go completely red. Upon catching sight of the girls in their present condition, Kyo took advantage of his new found understanding with Yuki and quietly got him to remove his hand from the now busted fridge and go outside without another word.

The girls could do little more than slump to the floor after the guys left.

Kyo was hard put with what to do with Yuki this angry. He didn't dare try to spar with him to help Yuki to calm down: it was far too dangerous, even Kyo could see that. They couldn't do like they both wanted to do, hunt that drunken rat bastard down, they would both end up in jail for attempted first degree murder, if they (and the jerk in question) were lucky. Finally, his mind settled on going to see his 'Dad', Shisou. But before they could do that, he had to check on the girls.

Kyo put Yuki a safe distance away and gave him the job of knocking down three trees without actually touching them. Kyo then set off for the house. When he entered the kitchen, he found the girls trying to deal with the food from the fridge before it went bad. They stopped when he came in the kitchen.

Kyo's mystically, but just barely restrained anger still showed through.

"We're going. Shisou's. Lock the doors. That damn dog'll…be here soon enough."

He started to leave but turned back around.

"We want your work schedule by _**tomorrow**_."

And with that he left.

Some time later, Shigure came home to a busted fridge **(which he mourned) **and an unusually largefeastfor three people **(which promptly ended his mourning)**. In the process of stuffing his face, he noted how quiet the girls were and who was also absent. He briefly entertained the idea of trying to get them to talk but it was obvious that it would not be happening today. So he made all kinds of noise about how good the food was while Tohru and Kagura could do little more than murmur their responses.

After dinner, while Kagura was cleaning up, Shigure saw Tohru head for the phone upstairs. He quietly stood at the bottom of the stairs to listen to her call.

"Hello…um, could I leave a message for Kyo?...he's not there yet, I know…um, could you tell him…eight to six, so…seven fifteen and six twenty?... He'll know what that means….Arigato."

Tohru left for Kagura's room while the pondered the cryptic message.

The message was given to Shisou, who would naturally see Kyo first. Shisou had little time to ponder what would bring his son back to the dojo before the boys arrived. Upon seeing their faces, Shisou promptly lead them back outside, to his rock garden. He brought Yuki to a rock pile and quietly gave his assent for Yuki to let go. Kyo he brought to a large boulder and stepped back. He watched his son try, for a couple minutes, to focus himself before he finally sent his fist flying, breaking the boulder into several pieces.

Kyo stayed as he was, his fist still making where the boulder used be, breathing heavily for several moments. Then he began to flex his hand as he straightened, just barely noting that there was a bruise and a few scrapes on his knuckles. He was forcing himself to take deep breathes as Yuki began to wind down himself. It was easy to chart Yuki rage: as he went along, the breaks he made in the rocks went from straight to jagged and back as he began to calm down.

Both men turned towards Shisou.

"Arigato," they said, adding a bow.

Shisou led them back inside for tea. Shisou found out the reason for their agitation while drinking the tea Kyo made when after Shisou burned the first pot. The cryptic message now made a little more sense as Shisou thought about it. Thinking of it, he relayed the message to Kyo and Yuki.

When Yuki gave Kyo a questioning look, the cat simply replied, "I take her in, you bring her back." The question left Yuki's face as he nodded his consent and understanding.

"Dad, we should go. I have an early—busy morning tomorrow."

"As do I. Arigato, Shisou." Yuki said with another bow.

"Think nothing of it, Yuki," Shisou replied with a small smile. "Please be sure to come back and see me again," he added as he placed his hand on Yuki head, not quite a pat on the head, but comforting all the same.

"Thanks, Dad," Kyo said quietly, placing a hand on Shisou's shoulder as Yuki headed towards the door.

"Any time, son. See you tomorrow," Shisou said as they made their way back to Shigure's from the dojo.

When they arrived back at Shigure's, they found the house quiet and clean. In the kitchen they found a note:

Dear Yuki and Kyon-Kyon---

The girls left some food for you in the oven. After you're done stuffing your faces with my food, you can remove my poor, defenseless refrigerator to outside. Fear not, I've taken the liberty of paying for the costs of replacing it and the food from your accounts.

Kyo crumpled the note with a snort and threw it away as Yuki pulled their dinners from the oven.

For once, they were too consumed by their thoughts to enjoy Tohru's food. They couldn't really enjoy it. It was hard to enjoy food with a very busted and empty fridge staring at you. So they forced down what they could and regretfully threw out the rest, then went to bed.

Over the next several weeks, this was the routine: in the morning, Tohru and Kyo would walk together in the morning and just talk about virtually everything. She'd talk about her job or what was happening with Arisa and Hana. He'd tell her about his students and his occasional dates. Sometimes they'd have lunch with Shisou if Kyo was working at the dojo or have a quick lesson in self-defense. In the evening, Yuki would wait for Tohru in the waiting room or outside the clinic when she got off. More often than not, they talked and window-shopped. There little to no more incidents, especially since the boys spent the first few days giving every guy who glanced at Tohru the death glare.

After awhile, Hatori began to notice how often he saw Yuki around the clinic or saw Tohru lingering briefly before she left in the evening. So, he had the front desk nurse call him the next time Yuki came in before Tohru was due to clock out. Hatori escorted Yuki back to his office and closed the door, promising it would only be a few minutes.

"So, why are you hanging around here so much?" the doctor asked.

"I'm just waiting for Tohru."

"You've been doing that a lot lately."

"I've done it before."

"Yes, and Momiji says you always waited for her outside."

"…" Yuki cursed the rabbit for talking so much.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm simply doing a favor for a friend."

The rat was obviously lying. There was something. Something that put an almost worried or concerned expression on his face until Tohru clocked out every day. So he simply pulled out a long needle, and uncapped it.

"What. Happened. Yuki?"

Knowing he would make good on the threat, Yuki gave up and told him what had happened. At one point, Yuki thought he saw something flash in the dragon's eyes, but he couldn't be sure.

Little did the rat know, he had been right. That little flash had been Hatori's rarely seen anger making an all too brief appearance. It honestly angered him to hear how Tohru had been getting harassed, especially by that drunk. His hand actually wanted to make a fist.

He remained quiet while Yuki spoke, only asking if Tohru had been hurt in any way. Yuki assured him she had not.

As Yuki was making to leave, Hatori spoke up.

"I'd like to speak to Tohru after her shift, so if it's all the same to you, I'll drive her home."

Yuki's eyebrow made an almost imperceptible movement before he nodded his assent.

As Yuki walked out, Hatori went out to find Tohru. He almost ran right into her when made to turn a corner.

"Oh! I'm sorry Hatori, I almost ran you over."

"That's quite all right. Tohru, may I have a word with you in my office before you go?"

"Um, sure," she answered, not sure what he could want to talk to her about.

They walked back to his office and Hatori closed the door behind them as Tohru took a seat in front of his desk.

When Hatori sat down, he realized he had begun to not so much calm down, so much as regain control of his temper, such as it was. Now that his mind was a little clearer, he felt a little awkward and unsure as to how to approach this topic, something he wasn't accustomed to. After a moment, he decided to take the indirect approach.

"How are things?"

"Hm? Oh, they're fine." Tohru began to relax, he just wanted to talk. "We haven't really chatted in a while. How are things with you?"

"About the same. Weren't you trying to find an apartment several weeks ago? How is that going?"

"Oh, not very good. I was trying to find a roommate and an apartment."

"A roommate? Why?"

"Oh, because I've basically always lived with someone…and living alone is a far cry from living with Shigure."

"Very true. So why not live with your friends?"

"They're too busy. I remember what it like, doing what they do. They'll be gone so much, I may as well be living alone anyway."

"So are you going to continue to stay with Shigure?"

"Hopefully not too much longer. But it's difficult to find a decent place that's safe enough by Yuki and Kyo's standards."

"Their opinions may not be the best right, considering how mad they still are about that drunken pervert."

"I know but…" Tohru slowed to a stop as her eyes got big. "How do you know about that?"

"I spoke with Yuki earlier. I had been noticing that he came around a lot lately, so I asked him about it. I assume Kyo is responsible for getting you here in the morning since Yuki is not a morning person in the least."

"Yes, he is and no, Yuki's not."

"How long has this been going on?"

"They've been walking me to and from work for about…"

"No, I mean long how had you been getting harassed? Yuki mentioned that you had been getting bothered by people for a while before the incident with the drunk."

"Oh…um, right after I started working for you. That's when that magazine released those photos."

"Photos?"

"Yes. I mean, I knew there was a possibility that there would be a reaction, but I was almost used to it because Ou-Chan got recognized all the time. I didn't think it would be this big a deal."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I did a photo shoot with Ou-Chan and Hana-chan. The magazine wanted to get some formal shots of us."

"I see…"

"So, that's making it a little harder finding a place to live that won't expose me to those…perverts." Tohru gave a little shiver. "I'd really like to avoid that as much as possible, but…"

"…"Hatori said nothing, trying to figure out why this was starting to bug him so much.

"Besides, Yuki and Kyo can't walk with me everywhere and they can't do it forever--"

"Then how about you live with me?"

Silence reigned supreme after Hatori spoke. Though he had spoken in the same modulated voice he always used, he may as well have yelled the suggestion. Tohru looked very confused and Hatori appeared to be surprised at himself. They were wondering the same thing: where did THAT come from?

Finally Tohru managed to speak, "What…?"

Hatori scrambled to find the logic behind his words and remain calm.

"For starters, you'd be living on the compound, which is pervert-free, with the exception of visits from Ayame and Shigure. That also means you're walking distance from the clinic, so there's no need to worry about riding public transportation. In addition, you'll have your own space without being alone."

"My own space?"

"The additions I had put in since Momiji more or less lived with me."

"What about rent and grocery?"

Hatori stopped and thought about it for a moment. IF this was actually going to happen, he couldn't bring himself to charge her rent, not after everything she did for the Sohmas. As for the groceries…he was quite sure Ramen noodles and coffee don't count in Tohru's world. He inwardly flinched, knowing she was going to let him have when she saw the inside of his cabinets.

"If you take care of the groceries, I'll consider it rent."

Tohru thought about it. On the one hand, it would be kind of awkward and vaguely inappropriate to live with her boss. That kind of thing would open them both up to unkind and wildly untrue gossip. On the other hand, she had known him for years. She hadn't even known Yuki before she had moved in with him and Shigure. She knew now how lucky she was that Shigure was a perv with at least some self-control and an ounce of morals. Hatori was several steps up from the writer, that much was certain. Plus, she had always been rather curious about the dragon doctor. She had learned some things from working with him but her curiosity was as yet unsatisfied.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"If the offer is still on the table, I would be honored to be your roommate."

Hatori was surprised that she took him up on his offer…and maybe even a little pleased about it, too.

_Wait---where the hell did that come from? I have no reason to be pleased. I made a sensible offer of shelter and she sensibly accepted. The fact that she's attract---that I don't regard her the way that I once did is of no relevance or consequence. _

"Very well. Would you like to retrieve the rest of your things from Shigure's tonight?", Hatori asked as they both rose to go.

"That would just fine, right after we go home so I can yell at you about living on ramen and coffee."

Hatori could nothing but sigh as he locked up the clinic.

After received his well deserved lumps for malnutrition (the ramen noodle packs were covered in dust), they (Tohru) decided a trip to the grocery store was in order before the day was over.

As they pulled up to Shigure's house, Hatori's stomach gave a sizable rumble. Tohru laughed a little and said, "We'll make this quick, so you can be properly fed."

Upon their entrance, they could see the house was rather lively. Shigure was bothering Kyo about the television, which in turn, bothered Yuki who was in the middle of a complicated equation. Back in the kitchen, clanks and clatters could be heard as Kagura prepared to make dinner.

"Hello, everyone," Tohru said as they made their way in.

"Ah, Tohru, you made it in. Thank you Hatori," Yuki replied as he tried to ignore the chaos the dog was creating.

"Kagura?" Tohru called.

"Oh, hi Tohru," Kagura answered as she walked to the kitchen door.

"Would it be too much trouble to ask you to help me up stairs? I have some things I need to move and I don't want to spend a lot time doing that."

"Sure, I haven't really started dinner anyway."

"What are you up to?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, um…" Tohru stalled knowing the reaction sure to come. "I'm packing up my things and moving tonight."

There was about two or three seconds of silence and stillness as Tohru's words were absorbed.

Then the great team of cat and rat went to work.

"What the hell do you mean, moving!?!"

"How could you have found a place so fast?"

"And where the hell IS this place?"

"I thought you were going to tell us before you signed a lease."

"We were SUPPOSED to CHECK THE PLACE OUT first BEFORE you signed!!!"

"Are you sure it's a safe neighborhood?"

"Are you quite finished?" Hatori interjected before Kyo could shout again.

"Um, Kyo calm down, it's okay really."

"THE HELL IT IS!!!"

"No, really it is. I'm moving in with Hatori."

Everyone grew quiet once more, as Kyo, Yuki, Kagura and Shigure stood shell-shocked. Then their eyes traveled to Tohru, then Hatori. Then the younger adults' eyes narrowed as they focused their accusing eyes on the dog.

Shigure cringed under the intensity of their stare. He replied nervously, "I can assure you, I had absolutely nothing to do with this in any capacity."

Before he could be called a liar, Hatori broke in.

"He's telling the truth."

"How did…this happen?" Yuki inquired as curiosity took over.

I'll give you the short version as I believe Tohru wanted to keep this brief. After I spoke with you, I spoke with Tohru. During the course of the conversation, she expressed some concerns over her living situation. I offered a sensible and convenient solution. She accepted."

While a little thought confirmed that it was sensible and convenient, it didn't answer the big question: _Why did he do that?_

As the question hung unasked and unanswered in the air, Tohru grabbed Kagura and went upstairs to pack. While the girls were gone, Hatori spoke up once more.

"While Tohru's gone, I'd like to say one thing to you two," addressing Yuki and Kyo. "Even though she won't need you to escort her to the clinic, I imagine she'd still like you to come to the clinic and see her. Just as she'd never ask you to take time out of your schedules to visit her, she'd never tell you how hurt she'd be if you stopped coming. Understood?"

Upon hearing the girls make their way back downstairs, the boys quietly nodded their assent. When they hit the bottom of the stairs, all the guys (minus the writer---what, him do manual labor? Are ya crazy?!?!) grabbed Tohru's things and placed them in the back of Hatori's car.

Tohru gave everyone a hug as she and Hatori made to leave. "Arigato to you all for letting me stay here," she said with a bow. With that, they left to embark on a new adventure, as roommates.

Okay that's the second chapter.

And yeah, as some of may have noticed, I'm ignoring a couple things from the actual storyline, like the whole Kyo/Tohru thing. And keeping Momiji in high school when he should very well be in university. I know, I know. Maybe I'll keep to the original storyline in another fic.

Keep reviewing and I'll try and update this just as soon as I can.


	3. The Bed You Make

I'm finally updating

I'm finally updating!!

I'm so sorry I took so long. School is so demanding…

On with the story and keep reviewing!!

**From the Dragon's Eyes**

Life with Tohru was interesting… almost more interesting than it should be…

Even though she lived a lot closer to the clinic, she still got up rather early every morning. She was generally ready for the day before the dragon even stumbled out of bed after murdering his alarm clock.

As the dragon became accustomed to Tohru's infamous cooking, the smell of her food began to help snap him out of it in the morning, knowing her food would be waiting for him when he finished getting ready.

It was unusual to hear such normal and happy sounds in the doctor's house, but he was glad nonetheless. He liked the sounds of Tohru getting ready, cooking, or even doing some light cleaning. When she did any of this, she was usually humming, or talking or fighting with Hatori. Hatori enjoyed having a conversation with someone who wasn't a patient or his perverted friends. Speaking of perverted, he was beginning to enjoy the sight of Tohru a bit too much lately. He was afraid he was finally succumbing to Ayame and Shigure's dirty influence. It took all that he had not to stare when she reached for things, leaned or heaven forbid bent over. And even though Tohru had become bolder since she left, she still retained her modesty, in action and in dress. Though, if one went by Hatori's increasingly over active libido, she may as well been dressed like Rin, based on the way he reacted to way the clothes regularly showed off some part of her figure. Parts that Hatori would have preferred to stay blissfully ignorant about.

They occasionally argued over the housework. Since Hatori really only slept and occasionally ate (pre-Tohru) in his house, it was never really that dirty. But the handsome doctor never made his bed, deeming it a pointless endeavor since it was only going to get messed up again anyway. Tohru, naturally, didn't see it that way, so often times while he was having breakfast, she would go and fix it for him. Hatori told her over and over that it was unnecessary for her to do that and her regular response was to blow past him with a duster on her way to attack something dusty.

Well, one day, Tohru decide she would start fixing his bed when he was in the shower. He was always guaranteed to take thirty minutes and she'd be able to hear him get out of the shower and leave before he could come out of the bathroom and catch her. This worked (more or less) for about a week. He still tried to get her to stop and she'd pretend to listen. Around the middle of the second week, Hatori, in a sleep-induced haze, forgot to take his clothes with him. So upon discovering his folly after getting out of the shower, he went to his room for his clothes in a towel, not thinking he would find Tohru in his room. Tohru, meanwhile paid little attention to the sound of the shower cutting off, other than to note she had about ten good minutes before Hatori came out of the bathroom, completely missing the sight of his clothes hanging on his armoire door.

As he approached the doorway to his room, Hatori made to grab the towel around his waist, intending to finish drying off. He came to an abrupt halt upon the sight of Tohru sprawled in his half messy bed, attempting to get the fitted sheet on the corner of his bed that rested against the wall. His mind blanked out for several seconds before he began trying to regain control of himself before he embarrassed them both, realizing that he couldn't hide much under a towel.

The situation became a bit more difficult for the floundering seahorse when Tohru rolled over to find her captive audience. She came to a squeaking halt, the serene look upon her face quickly became distressed and flushed. Hatori had little other choice but to take in the new sight before him: Tohru, her clothes every so slightly disheveled, her hair a touch messy, breathing rather deeply in her distress, her hands unknowingly clenching the pillows, her cheeks flushed as if… as if she had taken a completely different tumble in the sheets…

_no, no, NO…that train of thought is not conducive to this situation…I need to do something before these 'dog'-like thoughts continue…Damn that writer for giving me every copy of his books…lazy hack…_

The dragon sprang into action, quickly going to his armoire to retrieve his clothes, effectively shielding Tohru from the tent that those annoying Boy Scouts were trying to erect in her honor with his towel.

"I think the coffee's ready…"

"Oh!! Right!" came her hasty reply, flying out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

He gave a small, relieved sigh once she was gone.

_Well, that was not the best situation, but it certainly could have been worse…thank goodness I moved to the armoire before she saw anything…saw anything? She almost saw EVRYTHING!! I'd almost undone my towel before I saw her in my-- making my bed. On the plus side, I don't think I'll need to talk to her about making my bed…talk…hmm, there probably won't be much of that today. Just as well, I wouldn't know what to say. Perhaps I should do her--do US a favor and have another nurse assist me, just for today._

**Riceball's POV**

Life with Hatori was delightfully surprising and pleasant….and increasingly awkward all at once.

They talked quite a bit since she had moved in with him. She found out that despite his cold demeanor, he was rather charming, not surprising since all the male Juunishi were charming, in their own ways. He also had a dry wit that reminded her of Hana-chan. She thought the two of them might make good friends. They had a number of things in common, such as their demeanor and both are tormented by the powers they possess. Tohru thought it might be nice if they could have somebody they could talk to that would understand what they were feeling.

Even though he was normally calm, cool, collected personality, he was still a little shy and awkward. He was a little unsure what to do the first few days, coming into the kitchen to find Tohru cooking various meals. It was like watching a child in an unfamiliar house, not sure what or if they can touch anything. Tohru, being the same friendly person she's always been, just gave him a friendly greeting and invited him to sit and eat in his own house. It still made her laugh to think about it.

Almost as amusing was Hatori in the morning. Simply put, he was an adult Yuki. He all but murdered his alarm clock every morning and ran into at least two walls or doors on his way to the bathroom. This stopped being quite so funny when she caught sight of him wearing a poorly buttoned pajama shirt, which exposed a good bit of his softly chiseled chest. And even less amusing was the day he scratched his stomach, flashing a bit of said area. It became completely unfunny a few days ago when he wasn't wearing a shirt at all. Later, she thought it fitting that he should have the softly muscled build of a swimmer, considering he was the seadragon. It took several minutes before she could stop blushing and she all but leaped at the opportunity to doing the filing that day at the clinic. She learned to stay away from the doorway until he was safely in the shower.

She _thought_ she was safe. But she doomed herself when she began to fix his bed while he was in the shower. She _knew_ he wasn't completely alert in the morning; he was bound to forget things eventually. She brought the whole thing on herself…not that she was really _complaining._

There she was, sprawled in the middle of his bed, fighting with the fitted sheet. When she rolled over to get the flat sheet, she never expected to see what she found: an almost naked, wet Hatori eyeing her from the door. Her brain refused to function: she couldn't move, couldn't speak, nor avert her eyes like she should have, given the circumstances. All she could do was burn the image of rivulets and drops racing down his body to the edge of the towel… where… something she really didn't what to think about was happening.

The downside to doing a photo shoot in a men's magazine meant getting a crash course in the facts of life. Like figuring out several years too late what Haru meant about proving how his hair was naturally black and white. She still shuddered to think what she had almost gotten herself into that time.

Hatori started to break the spell, when he moved towards his armoire… but then she saw the back of him, coupled with a mild side view and she simply stopped.

Until he spoke.

He may as well have yelled at her or thrown a chair, the way she ran out so fast.

Somehow she got through breakfast and made it to work without knowing how she did it. She spent the entire day trading assignments with the other nurses, claiming she wanted a change in scenery when she was really trying to stay away from Hatori. She was so flustered and focused on seeing and speaking to Hatori as little as possible, she all but forgot that Yuki was coming over for their almost weekly lunch date. She knew she must have acted so weird; Yuki kept looking at her with concern. Even though he really wanted to ask her what was wrong, he knew she wouldn't talk about it until she was good and ready. So he left it alone and tried to forget about it. That worked right up until the end of lunch, when something must have occurred to Tohru because her eyes got a little big.

"Is everything okay, Tohru?"

"Oh, um, yes!! I just remembered there's a phone call I need to make before I go back on the clock."

"Okay… Well, arigato for lunch. It was delicious."

"You always say that… My cooking isn't all that good…"

"It certainly is and I'm not the only one that thinks so."

"Oh…" she said with a small blush. "Well, I have to go. We'll do this again soon, okay?"

"Of course. Bye, Tohru."

"Bye Yuki!" she waited until he turned the corner, the longest minute of her life so far before whipping out her cell and calling her friends. Towards the end of lunch, she realized what day it was: Friday. The prospect of a whole weekend of trying to avoid someone in a relatively small house and not thinking about that morning was too much. She was hoping to go out with her friends, dance and forget just for a few hours… or at least dance away most of her nerves before she saw him in that house again.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Hana-chan…"

"Your waves are in chaos…"

"ah, heh heh… um, what are you guys doing tonight?"

"There are a few clubs that want Arisa to make an appearance tonight… we aren't sure if we're going to make the rounds or pick a spot for the night."

"Oh, sounds like fun… mind if I tag along?"

"Never. Where would you like to meet?"

"Can you meet me in front of the Sohma compound? It's too confusing for you to come inside, the Sohma compound is just huge.

"What time?"

"Hmm..." she gave it some thought. By the time she made a quick dinner, changed and added the walk to the front of the compound… "How's 7:30?

"Excellent. I shall alert Arisa."

"Great. Bye!"

"Fair well, Tohru…"

_Time for Hana-chan's wave report!!_

Hana contemplated her cell after she closed it, as she analyzed the reading she got off of Tohru. _Hmm, her waves are definitely in turmoil…I can't quite pin down what's causing the disturbance. Perhaps I'll get a better reading when we pick her up. What ever it is, it does not require our assistance at this time. I shall keep watch regardless, for Tohru's waves have never resembled the disturbed waves oft times found in a Sohma so much._

With that, she left for the kitchen to find a snack, rather than sharing her thoughts with Arisa. She thought it best that Arisa see and hear it for herself before sharing what she had.

_**Return of the Dragon**_

Hatori knew immediately that Tohru wasn't home. It was quiet, like it was before she moved in and for once, it bothered him. Though he didn't dare think about why it did.

He saw the note on the fridge:

_Hatori-san--_

_I'm going out with my friends tonight. If it gets to be very late, I'll just stay with them for the night. Your dinner is in the stove. _

_Tohru_

Somehow, dinner just didn't taste the same when he was by himself. Rather than think about that, he thought about doing some work. That was quickly dismissed because there was none to do, not since Tohru started working at the clinic. He tried to read for pleasure, something he rarely got to do, but couldn't focus on the story. The clock said it was a touch early for bed. He considered calling Aya, but he was not in the mood to play babysitter or think, as interacting with Aya tended to do. So he finally settled on calling the dog: Shigure was never serious on the phone, with the exception of someone being hurt. Then he generally got dramatic and over the top.

_Flashback--_

_Phone rings—_

"_Hello?"_

"_Tori it's horrible!! You have to get here quick. Our beloved Tohru has taken a horrific fall down the stairs! Please hurry and save her!! Her life force pooling on the floor…I'll commence with mouth to mouth until you get here…"_

_Loud slamming sound followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor._

"_Baka inu…"_

"_What the hell do you think you're pulling?!"_

"_She only sprained her wrist…"_

"_Damn pervert…"_

_Hatori hung up with a sigh before grabbing his medical bag, vaguely hoping he won't have to treat the dog as well by the time he gets there._

_End flashback_

He could talk to Shigure just long enough to make him tired and probably get a mild headache. And it worked, except he couldn't sleep. He tried everything he knew and thought might work… but none of it did. So all he did was pace and drink warm tea, hoping it would help shut his system down enough to sleep. He was almost unaware that he kept glancing at the door and peeking out of the window.

It never occurred to him that he couldn't sleep because Tohru wasn't home.

Shortly after his third trip to the bathroom (he drank _a lot_ of tea) the front door opened.

Sleep was very much out of the question.


End file.
